


In The Dancing Of Fire, In The Curve Of Old Bones

by PrinceOfUchiha



Category: Naruto
Genre: "This isn't what I meant when I said not to trust the Uchiha", "What would Hashirama do?", Also if you understand the reference in the title it'll make me very happy, Angst, Butsuma was a shitty father, Especially Hashirama, Family Bonding, Fluff, Fuck Hiruzen, He's just hurting, He's six though, Hiruzen is two-faced, Hurt/Comfort, Itachi getting through his tool mentality, Itachi idolizes the Hokages, Itachi needs a hug, Itachi sees himself as a tool for the village, Sasuke feels guilty for missing his brother after everything he did, Sasuke getting through his shit-show of a life, Sasuke isn't completely vengeful yet, Sasuke needs a hug, The massacre was going too far even for him, Tobirama believes in necessary evils, Tobirama didn't have kids for a reason, Tobirama doesn't know whats going on in the beginning, Tobirama getting through his trust issues, Tobirama is a closet pacifist, Tobirama is kind of an asshole in the beginning, Tobirama wasn't made to parent but he still ends up fathering two Uchihas, Uchiha Massacre, Where's Hashirama when you need him, fuck danzo, he's trying his best
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-20
Updated: 2021-01-16
Packaged: 2021-03-10 19:55:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 14,101
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28202724
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PrinceOfUchiha/pseuds/PrinceOfUchiha
Summary: Before his death, Tobirama set up a safe-guard for the village. If any suspicious movement were to happen with the Uchiha clan's chakra, he would be pulled back to life. So here he was, ready to kick the Uchiha clan's ass for whatever it had done to the village.Come to find, it wasn't the Uchiha who needed their asses handed to them. He finds out soon enough that apparently his seal counts 'All but three Uchiha dying' as a good enough reason to revive him.If someone had told him that his scroll was going to bring him back to life so that he babysit a six-year-old Uchiha child, maybe he wouldn't have crafted it after all. Unfortunately, it was too late to brood on now.
Comments: 46
Kudos: 147





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Some forwarning: Tobirama's thoughts will be shifting as the story goes on. This is not an anti-Uchiha story.

Tobirama was proud of his village.

The young Senju had poured his all into making it as sustainable as he could. He had created a vast number of programs-- the Konoha Police Department, the Ninja Academy, the ANBU, the village's rankings, and even the voting system! He had worked day and night to make sure everything would be perfect for his brother's dream.

There was always one lingering threat to all his hard work, though. Those Uchiha. It would only be a matter of time before the Uchiha put the entire village in peril, intentional or not. While it was true that the clan was filled with outstanding shinobi, Tobirama knew for a fact that he couldn't trust them any further than he could throw the nine-tailed beast. They would rebel, sooner or later.

When the time came, the village would be in serious danger. To have so many fierce shinobi attack from within would be fatal to the village if there were no defenses in place. 

Despite his many warnings and discussions with his elder brother, Hashirama had never listened. Tobirama loved his brother, but the man was willfully naive when it came to the Uchiha. He had always claimed that they would come around- that one day, they would become one with the village. That Tobirama would learn to accept them and that they would grant him the same respect. 

It was one of the many things he was never able to agree with his brother on. How could he blindly believe in the Uchiha, hoping that they would decide to fall into line someday? Tobirama knew the Uchiha, and he knew them well. 

Just as the Senju followed the way of the earth with their unyielding perseverance and strength, the Uchiha had always followed the way of the fire. Their clan was relentless-- fierce and determined, willing to consume anything that stood in their way and use it to fuel their own power.

Due to this, Tobirama had always knew exactly how to deal with them, despite his brother's dislike of his strict actions towards the clan. If the Uchiha insisted on living by the code of fire, he would treat them as such.

A flame could be powerful; an excellent weapon which could bring even the strongest of shinobi to their knees. Even so, it was one that needed to be treated with a watchful eye. After all, unlike a sword or kunai, a flame refuses to stay still unless forced to do so. If not properly reigned in, it would be easy for the weapon to get out of hand, burning enemies and allies alike. It's only focus is to sustain itself- to expand its power. The very same thing could be said about every Uchiha he had ever met.

Not once had he met an Uchiha who was missing this fire. Their greed to expand the clan's power was dangerous. They were bound to rebel the moment he looked away. He had refused to let them burn their way through the village, whether Hashirama was willing to listen to him or not. He would protect the people of Konoha with every fiber of his being- even if it was an attack from within.

Tobirama had promised his brother that he would help him see his dream of the perfect village to the end, and even beyond that. Konoha was their masterpiece, and he refused to let it burn to the ground due to his brother's overly trusting attitude. He would protect this village. He had made this oath, and he intended to follow through on it, even in death.

It had taken some time, but he had figured it out, eventually. He was a master of the scroll, after all. He had probably created more jutsus than most shinobi even managed to learn in a lifetime. He was by no means an arrogant man, but he wasn't as oblivious as Hashirama seemed to be when it came to his own power. He was powerful, and he knew that. Which was why he hadn't hesitated to use this power to protect his village. 

It was deplorable, to say the least. Even as he worked hard in the dead of night, away from all prying eyes, he knew it. He had practically felt the judgment of his long-gone father and the sadness of Itama's sullen eyes. He had ignored these thoughts as he had worked to set it up, time and time again, trying to perfect it despite the feeling of damnation that welled in his gut each time he got closer and closer. 

The dead should stay dead. That's what anyone with even the smallest bit of common decency would say. It was what his father had told them each time he heard Hashirama grieving; the boy demanding that this wasn't supposed to happen. Itama was supposed to make it out alive, Hashirama had said more than once, often accompanied by a tearful desire for him to be with them once more.

Their father had never been willing to listen to these grievances, nor had Tobirama been willing to listen to his father's incessant urges to simply 'move on' as his brothers followed one by one into the grave. It was ironic really, that the man who proclaimed to respect death so much was the first to also dismiss it so easily. His father had always treated it as though it were nothing, claiming that they would adapt to it once they grew older. They never had.

Tobirama knew, even as he cast the final seal to link his soul to the village, that death was anything but insignificant. It was necessary, but never trivial. To suggest such a thing was unimaginable. Death needed to be treated with the same respect as life- it would be foolish not to.

As such, he had been very particular when creating the seal. He knew he was committing an atrocious act, but no more so than taking another life, as far as he was concerned. A necessary evil. So he pressed on, setting up the rules for the seal in such a way that he almost hoped it never activated. 

He had taken a breath once it was cast, the normally stoic man having to remind himself that it was for Hashirama and the safety of the village for all time. Even if his elder brother knew nothing of his vice, he would continue on for his sake. For the sake of his dream. If that included having to tie his soul to the village and keep watch over those damn Uchiha, he would do it. 

He'd come back to deal with the Uchiha, no matter how much he hated the very idea. His one comfort was that, at the very least, he would only have to return in the most dire of circumstances. He had made sure of that when creating the seal.

It would not activate unless a large scale decrease or increase occurred with their chakra at any given point. This way, he'd be able to know if they were killing each other off especially fast for the mangekyou. He would be able to step in and make sure their forces didn't grow too powerful. At the same time, if they sharply increased, he'd be able to know about it if they were to use some sort of kinjutsu to bring back the past Uchiha. There's absolutely no good reason for them to want to resurrect the amount required to trigger the seal- so it would be best if he was around to stop whatever plot they'd be planning, he assumed.

The seal seemed perfect in almost every way. He was proud of himself for his results, even if the work in question was beyond repugnant. He would be able to fully come back- body, mind, and soul- without any of the oddities that came with the reanimation jutsu. No sacrifices were required for this seal, nor could it be activated by force before the time was right.

There was just one not-so-tiny issue. Since the seal was made to build him up from practically nothing, it took much longer to bring him back. Specifically, a month. It was something he had tried again and again to fix, but a month was as low as he could bring it down to without risking a mutation in the creation process.

As such, he had bitterly admitted, he would have to act fast once he felt his consciousness returning to him. He would have no time to wait around if the sharp change in chakra happened a month before his awakening. 

He would have to be fast if he wanted to destroy whatever threat those damn Uchihas had built up in time.


	2. The Earth From Which He Came

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Possible TW: Tobirama digging himself out of a grave; suffocation issues?

Thank you to everyone who commented and bookmarked/gave kudos! The prologue got some good feedback so I couldn't resist writing some more, lmao. Hope you all enjoy!

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Embalming is not something typically used in the Senju clan- they are shinobi of the Earth and often prefer to return to it after leaving this world. As strange as it might seem to the other clans, it is often a comfort to see the deceased bodies beginning to fail at the funerals. It means that they are becoming one the earth- that they will remain as dirt for their kin to live off of. They will continue to serve their clan by offering nutrition for future crops. 

To embalm a body means that it will take far longer for the body to return to the earth. It will remain for years- slowing the process of their true end. It was nearly unheard of for a Senju to be embalmed, but no one had objected when they had read it in Tobirama's will. For that, he was grateful.

It meant he didn't have to find an excuse as to why he was so serious about being properly preserved. It wasn't as though he could tell them the truth- that he wanted his body in good condition in case the seal was one day activated.

He could still revive without it, of course, but it would make the process a lot longer and uncomfortable. By embalming his body, he wouldn't have to wait for the dirt and water to nourish him from the bone out. That would take nearly a year. Since he was properly preserved, it made things a lot easier.

It only took a month for the dirt and water to push in through the pores of his skin, nourishing his body as it built him up, layer by layer. He was crafted fully from flesh to bone, slowly and steadily. The last pieces of his body to be brought back were his organs and nerves, the Senju having specifically designed it to be that way. He'd much rather avoid having to feel any more than necessary.

As such, when he felt his mind slowly hazing back to life from the darkness, he had been grateful for his foresight. His eyelids had opened carefully, the effort required not going unnoticed. The Senju felt his fingers testingly grip the hardwood of his casket, his arms aching at the energy it required.

His chest heaved inwards as a dry cough left his chest, the resurrecting shinobi's arms falling back to his sides as musty air filtered into his chest. The dampness of the muddy water that had snuck into the casket felt increasingly suffocating, his lean muscles reflexively shuttering as he tried to control his breathing. He didn't need to waste all his oxygen by panicking. 

His body ached, the man taking a careful breath as he began to gather himself. His body was sore, so he supposed it must have just finished the bulk of the seal's process. His body was ready, though his nerves must be receiving the finishing touches. Tobirama, unfortunately, couldn't check due to the lack of light in his casket.

So, instead, he settled on letting the scroll finish its work, the Senju idly moving his fingers and shifting as much as he could in an attempt to help wake the previously destroyed nerves. He made a point to stifle his chakra as well as he could, not wanting anyone nearby the feel his awakening. That would cause more problems than he would like to deal with. 

Tobirama focused on stifling his chakra and awakening his nerves, refusing to acknowledge the issue of the casket's stench. He knew the more he focused on it, the more it would be an issue. Still, he found it hard to ignore the sickening reek around him. This was what happened when you put a corpse in a box and stick it underground for a few decades, he supposed. He had known he wouldn't be waking up to the smell of roses, but still. He hadn't known it would be this bad. 

As he tried to ignore the urge to hurl his guts out, the man felt his body coming completely to life. He could feel his body's soreness enhance, his skin feeling as though it were on fire, though he supposed that was what happened when dirt and water pressed its way into each pore. It was excruciating- not only the process, but the slowness of it all.

He didn't know how long it took. All he knew was that the total time of the revival shouldn't take more than a month. Which was what made it so hard. He knew it wasn't as long as it felt, but each second felt like torture. Each moment he stayed in his casket, healing, was another moment for the Uchiha to do whatever the hell they had planned. He needed to get to the village as swiftly as he could.

With this in mind, he willed himself to move. His nerves seemed to be refreshed, so the only thing holding him back now was the ache in his bones. Unfortunately, that was unlikely to disappear anytime soon. So as he lifted his hands to push the casket open, he was prepared to get going despite the soreness.

His heart skipped a beat as the lid of the casket didn't move, a moment of realization crossing Tobirama's mind. Right, he was six feet under. He had a lot of earth above him that he would need to break past if he wanted to get to the surface. His brows furrowed as he forced himself onto his stomach, taking a few deep breaths of the revolting air. He needed to get out before he ran out of oxygen. The seal had finished its work- he was just as alive as he had been all those years ago. Which meant he needed to breathe just as much as any other living being.

Taking a calming breath, Tobirama rammed his back into the lid of the casket, fingers clenching around the watery dirt that had made its way into the casket over the years. He was momentarily glad that he had been buried in his armor, otherwise, this would probably hurt a lot more than it already did. He was going to have to take it slow and steady if he wanted to get out of the casket without heaving in too much oxygen at once.

So he found himself counting in his head, staying as composed as possible in such a situation. He thought with a steady rhythm, 'One, two, three, four, five-' THUMP 'One, two, three, four, five-' THUMP, continuing on despite the distant question of its effectiveness. Distantly, he could feel the bits of dirt that had made its way into the casket over the years, fingers digging into the familiar soil of Konoha. With each thump, his chest filled with a renewed source of death-filled air. It was one thing to smell the fresh stench of a dead carcass, he realized, but it was another thing completely to be in a box that had been building it up for years upon years. Had he been a lesser shinobi, he might have admitted to the gag welling up in his throat with each thump. He needed to get out of this terrible place. 

It took some time, but eventually, he felt something hit the back of his arms. A thin smirk of satisfaction found its way onto his previously frustrated face, the silver-haired shinobi turning onto his back once more with a huff of effort. He settled a hand on his chest, feeling the rapid thumping of his heart as he tried to steady himself. He was beginning to feel light-headed, much to his rising panic. He had to do this the right way, otherwise, he'd only succeed in suffocating or burying himself into the dirt once more. He couldn't afford to die a second time- not so soon after the Uchiha had been acting suspicious enough for the seal to activate. He needed to get out; he needed to be at the village's aid as soon as possible.

Using this as his motivation, he pushed against the lid once more, lifting it just enough to give an opening. He made sure to open it just enough for an opening; only a bit of dirt crumbling in from the side of the opening. 

His hand moved, silently cursing the darkness as he began pressing his hands flat against the dirt on the side, compacting it. He smoothed both his hands over the earth, his back holding up the lid of the casket despite the protests of his spine. He pressed the soil as well as he could, gritting his teeth at the labor it required.

Bit by bit, the soil settled into place. Soon, he had a smooth wall of dirt by his side. Now for the risky part. He needed to get up to the surface, but he couldn't just break through six feet in one swoop. He didn't have the brute strength of most Senju. He had to work smart. Luckily, this wasn't too much of a challenge. He was used to needing to play tactician to get through things. Today was no different- he was sure he'd manage.

Using this thought for motivation, he began using his fingers to carefully dig into the dirt. His chest felt tight as he did so, the silver-haired Senju resisting his natural reaction to tear into the wall. He blinked as his eyes pulsed despite the darkness, closing them tightly. He was Tobirama Senju- he could do this. He would escape and aid his village. All he had to do was dig one measly tunnel towards the surface.

Fingers moving shakily, he began to dig. His nails scraped against the soil to the left of his casket, the man moving the dirt to rest at the bottom of the wood. His lungs had begun to burn, so he focused on taking steady breaths. He could feel his eyes glossing over, which he assured himself was a result of the slowly occurring suffocation. His hands moved quicker as his mind moved on its own, finding it hard to follow his own logic as the panic crept into his skin.

He repeated his goal in his mind, hoping to will his body into listening. 'Make a circle beside the casket to crawl into. Make a tunnel to the left to crawl out of. Use your hands to flatten the sides of the tunnel for stability.'

The shaking in his hands became more apparent even to him, the Senju trying to shake it off. He could do this- he was a man of legend, damn it! He refused to die of suffocation. He blindly stumbled to smooth the circle he had built around himself, carefully crawling into it.

At least he was one step closer to being away from that horrid smell, he encouraged his sluggish mind. His hands moved to scratch to the side of one of the walls, the man's movements not nearly as coordinated as they had been only moments ago. He willed himself forward, reminding himself, 'For the village, for the village!' as soil crumbled from his upper left and into his hair.

Bit by bit, he carved out his tunnel, calloused palms clumsily pushing the walls into place. His chest heaved with the effort it required, lips curling into a glower despite his best efforts. Slowly, the dirt tumbled past him and into the casket below. He blindly dug, eyes clenched as he pulled at the earth. He was almost there, surely! He had never been one to act on blindly positive thoughts, but right now, he needed them. He'd never admit it, but he almost wished Hashirama was with him. The brunet would probably spout some overly-simplistic encouragement right about now.

He could practically hear Hashirama's praise as he felt his fingers grip at the next bit of dirt, his fingers swiping through the wall with none of the normal resistance. Tobirama allowed his lip to curl into a satisfied grin as light filtered in through the hole, burning his eyes. His body ached as the sun hit against his deathly-pale skin, oxygen rushing into his lungs as he finally allowed himself to hack out a nasty cough.

His arms gripped onto the side of the hole he had dug as he let his body lurch forward with each hack, steadying himself. He still felt a bit light-headed, but he didn't hesitate to crawl out of the stenchful hole, laying his body against the dirt as the sweetness of the fresh air swept through his chest. He gave himself a moment to regather his composer, fingers gripping the soil as he laid his head to the ground, eyes closed. Fuck, he was going to kill those damn Uchihas.


	3. The Sun Goes Down; The Dawn Breaks

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me resisting the urge to jump straight into Sasuke and Itachi: Steadysteadysteady

Once Tobirama successfully calmed himself, though have he would prefer to bask in the glory of his achievement, he still had much to do. With this in mind, he pulled himself up into a standing position, stretching his arms and back until they gave a satisfying crackle.

First, he easily decided, he needed to clean himself up and figure out when he was. It wouldn't due for him to walk around covered from head to toe in filth and age-old armor. The last thing he needed was to draw attention to himself, lest the Uchiha realize they had been caught doing...whatever it was they had done this time.

Peeling his old armor off his body, he settled on dumping it in the hole he had just crawled out of. He leaned over, effectively pulling on his sore muscles as he used the nearby dirt to pat the armor into the ground. It'd surely lead to suspicion that something was off if he just left it out for anyone to see.

Tobirama hoped he would be able to sneak in, deal with the problem, then return to the Earth once he was sure the problem was taken care of. He could always reset the seal in case further problems developed in the future. 

As such, he would need to be precise with how he handled whatever the situation was. If things went accordingly and he was able to return to the Earth, he made a mental note to not have his casket buried so far underground next time.

Giving the ground one final pat, he stood back up, rubbing his shoulder idly. Now that his armor was gone, he wore a solid black outfit. His turtleneck and leggings still reeked of muddy death, even if he had escaped that hellish hole.

Yeah, he couldn't walk into town wearing this. Shinobi village or not, he'd cause high alert right away. Luckily, if nothing else, he was sure he could find a pond around. He knew the land of fire, but first, he needed to figure out where he was.

It didn't take long to figure it out. Based on the giant stone faces he found the moment he stepped out of the half-caved area he had been in before, he realized he must have been buried below the Hokage monument. The same area as Hashirama, then. The silver-haired shinobi made a point of not glancing around the cave too much, not wanting to be distracted by the renewed grief of his elder brother. There would be time for that later- right now, he kept the pain in his chest tucked down. Acknowledged, but not acted upon.

Tobirama ran a hand through his crusted silver hair, looking up at the Hokage monument. Four faces. So there had only been one new Hokage. He didn't count Hiruzen in this counting since, well, the boy had become Hokage right before Tobirama had died. The Senju felt another swell of grief in his chest as the idea resonated with him. His precious students were probably dead by now. 

He forced his gaze over to the area below. His village. It was bigger than he remembered. His eyes narrowed slightly at the sight of the main roads, which he could just barely see from his spot upon the cliff. The village didn't look anything like he had left it. The roads all twisted in different directions.

Why on Earth would they redesign the entire village? Perhaps it just came with time, or Hiruzen had found a more efficient way of routing it. He shook his head back and forth lightly at the idea, carefully leaping down from the cliff.

He made way for one of the nearby rivers, doubting it would be gone even if it had been a while. It had always been one of his favorites due to its hidden nature. He would have never found it had he not actively gone out in search of nearly every possible fishing spot.

When Tobirama finally arrived, he was satisfied to see that it remained undisturbed, even years later. The resurrected shinobi stripped, getting into the water once he was sure he was alone. It was cold, but he ignored it in favor of scrubbing his clothes into the water beside him. The dirt that had been mucked onto him and his clothes finally seemed to rinse into the water as the man considered what to do next.

He idly scrubbed at his clothes as he pondered. There had been four Hokage's total, unless one was newly appointed and was yet to have his face carved into the wall. The carvings had been crafted within a few months of his and Hashirama taking the role of Hokage. Hiruzen's face had already been under construction when Tobirama had passed away, so it depended on how long his student and his successor had lived. 

Shinobi usually lived to around thirty years old, so he would assume it had been anywhere from thirty to sixty years, depending on how long the Hokages survived. There was always the factor of whether or not living in a village allowed for a longer life, but Tobirama couldn't be sure of that. He'd say, at max, they had probably lived to fifty. Hokage's had to be on the front lines, so he doubted it, but it was possible. So, a hundred years, give or take?

That sounded about right, he mused, ringing his clothes and pulling the water from them with ease. He could always gather info from the village if the time period became increasingly important. Until then, he should focus on getting to the root of the problem. 

Tobirama was still a bit tired from reawakening, so he decided against a hinge as he got back to land, redressing. It wouldn't be too hard to disguise himself- the Hokage monument didn't have color and he doubted anyone would take the consideration of a dead Hokage walking down the hall seriously. He used a bit of vegetation to tie his hair back, a short ponytail doing wonders to his appearance as he inspected it in the now murky water. 

His tattoos would be harder to hide. He mentally cursed himself for making such distinguishable markings, but didn't waste too much time on it. Tobirama brought his fingers to the ruffles of his turtleneck, lifting it up and over his nose. He normally only used the face-covering abilities for stealth missions, but he didn't have any qualms about using it as a daily mask.

Taking one last look at his reflection, Tobirama stood. Now. It was time to go check out the situation with the Uchiha. Whether they had the plan of a silent strike or had already begun starting issues, he'd take care of it.

He made way for the village once he was presentable enough, ignoring the glances he got. A pit of unease settled in his stomach as he walked through the town, eyeing the surrounding villagers with a calm but icy expression. He would sneak, but he wasn't sure if the overall abilities of shinobi had increased or decreased. It'd be troublesome to get caught sneaking and have to use some idiotic excuse as to not get caught.

As such, Tobirama endured the stares, keeping his gaze sharp as to encourage the villagers to keep their distance. He was too busy for questions.

He moved through the busy streets, noticing the many shops and houses despite his attempts to focus on simply getting to the Uchiha compound. Tobirama had noticed that it had moved as well back when he was on the cliff, so he didn't bother going to the old spot. He went directly for the Uchiha compound, which he noticed, was rather close to the Hyuuga's now.

He mildly wondered if they were on better terms now, to be able to be only a few blocks away. He doubted it, really. The Hyuuga had always been a respectable clan- their Byakugan had always been far less deceiving than the Uchiha's Sharingan. They had never once caused trouble for the Senju. In fact, their leader had sided with both the Senju and their Uzumaki allies before. A thin smirk of approval lined Tobirama's lips as he passed by the clan gates, nodding in passing to the guards. There was a clan you could trust- reliable, intelligent, and above all else, honorable.

His good mood didn't last. Once he made it to the Uchiha compound and saw the empty guarding stations, his annoyance surfaced. Those idiot Uchiha shinobi and their pride. He knew how they were; they thought they were so untouchable. That was fine by him, even if it was aggravating. Still, to leave the gate so open was a foolish move. Anyone could walk right in and bring harm to the children or civilians living within. Said person would be met with death the moment their prey cried out, sure, but it was a reckless move none the less.

Tobirama shook his head back and forth lightly as he set this thought to the side, even if it was an infuriating one. He moved towards the gates, finally moving into a more stealthy position. It was one thing to walk through the village as a possible tourist- it was another to walk straight into one of the compounds.

So he found himself crouched beside the wall, his eyes narrowing as he placed a hand to it. The Senju's brows furrowed as he silently checked over for the chakra signatures, expecting to find them spread out. His face fell from irritated to blank as he felt the absence of chakra.

Well...that was odd, to say the least. He stared forward for a brief moment, trying to wrap his mind around the absence. Had they migrated? Were they no longer part of the village? Or perhaps they had simply chosen to hide their chakra signature. No, that didn't seem likely. That wasn't something civilians or children would normally be able to do. It wouldn't make sense. 

It was then that he caught the subtle reek. His eyes turned downcast towards his own clothes, wondering if he had carried the smell of death with him. He hadn't thought so, but perhaps he had missed it. He moved to scale the wall carefully, squatting as he entered the Uchiha compound. No, it definitely wasn't coming from him.

He took a steady step forward as his eyes narrowed, looking over the sight of the compound. It was an absolute massacre. Windows were busted open in nearly every house, shards of glass yet to be picked up. Large pools of blood seemed to of crusted onto the empty sidewalk, police tape wrapping around each house and shop.

Tobirama knelt down to look at the blood, frowning as he reached a hesitant hand below. He touched the dried blood gently, easily able to understand once he saw just how crusted it was. This blood was old- it had been there a minimum of three weeks, a maximum of two months. It was beginning to dull, but he could still see the stains against the concrete.

The stains and crust took on many different appearances- some large, some small. Some puddled, others splattered. All of them had one thing in common, however.

They had drag marks, leading up to the main house. The only house to remain without police tape, Tobirama noted with a sinking feeling. Just what the hell happened here?


	4. Small Mercies

Gritting his teeth, Tobirama stood, practically marching forward. Following the routes of blood, he made way for the main household. He had to forcibly calm his chakra as to not alert anyone, the silver-haired shinobi torn between common sense and his disbelief.

There was no way the Uchiha clan was gone. They had once rivaled the Senju, fighting with determination no matter the circumstances. As untrustworthy as the clan was, Tobirama had never once considered them weak. They wouldn't allow themselves to be knocked out so easily- Tobirama had seen time and time again as their numbers dwindled side by side with their own, but never had the Uchiha given any indication of letting up. He had watched, over and over, as the Uchiha fought down to their very last man.

Tobirama knew the Uchiha. They wouldn't die this easily. Even as he walked over splatters upon splatters of what could only be theirs, he found it hard to believe. Hell, even if the Uchiha had been attacked, surely they would have had the common sense to retreat, right?

Pushing the front door of the main house open, he mentally corrected, they probably wouldn't. Damn Uchiha and their pride. Still. The idea of their once mighty rivals falling seemed ludicrous. Surely they hadn't fallen so weak over the course of a few decades?

It was inarguable, though, as he searched the compound for any chakra. For all his sensory abilities, he didn't feel a single shred of Uchiha chakra. His eyes scanned over the main house, using his strained voice for the first time in who knows how long, "Hello?" the question ringing through the air. "...Uchiha?" 

His red eyes glanced over the opening room, frowning at the lack of response. Surely, if this house was still open, there had to be someone living here? Had it been an outside attack where only the main family had survived? Or was it a power grab, maybe? The latter seemed unlikely. It must have been an attack from outside. Perhaps the main family had been the only ones able to hide? Or, he bitterly considered, any Uchiha would technically become the leader if the others were dead. It couldn't have been a power grab. If it had been a power grab from within the village, the children and civilians wouldn't be missing.

That was the most disturbing thing about this all, really. He could understand why the Uchiha shinobi would be dead- they were shinobi. Death was, unfortunately, part of the job. It would be normal for them to be targeted. The only reason the children and civilians would have been targetted by an enemy nation would be if they had only been a means to an end.

Even still, that was sinking too low by most shinobi standards. The very idea was just...wrong. Shinobi were one thing. He could even understand retired shinobi. They knew how to defend themselves. It was entirely different to point a sword at someone either too old or too young to protect themselves. Even people who had simply decided to take on the role of civilians didn't deserve that. How was someone who baked bread for a living supposed to defend against experienced fighters?

He hadn't seen any other clans with missing guards...was it only the Uchiha clan? On one hand, it was good that the damage had only hit one area of the village. On the other, it was sickening to consider. He could practically envision it- the enemy shinobi slipping past the border and into the Uchiha compound. It was quite possible that this had been a personal attack, actually. It would explain why the rest of the village didn't seem to be suffering any losses.

He crossed his arms more on instinct than anything as he considered this, unsure of how to feel about it. Well, there was definitely no threat. Still, it was wrong on so many fundamental levels. He absent-mindedly moved forward, walking past the oddly clean living room, considering how things were outside. None of the windows were broken in this house, nor was there any blood.

The couch looked as high quality as one would expect from a clan head, the bookshelves on either side of it lined with books of all nearly all genres. The weapons lined up neatly on the wall looked a bit dusty, but besides that, everything seemed to be in order.

Tobirama turned into the kitchen, moving past the counter as he checked the pantry and fridge. He was satisfied to see that it was full of surprisingly fresh fruit and vegetables. The kitchen had pretty much everything besides meat and alcohol. Well, at least he knew there was definitely someone living in the house, then. There was no way those fruits were more than a week old tops.

Overall, the house seemed pretty well taken care of. He at first assumed the contents of the kitchen meant that a man or woman had survived the attack, but this idea was questioned as he went to the side of the fridge. His foot kicked against something, which he quickly found to be a step-stool. Leaning down, he carefully picked it up, brow quirking. It was a child's step-stool, little toy kunai decorating the sides. If it was out in the open a month after the attack...

Tobirama let out a light sigh as he sat it back where he had gotten it. Perhaps, if nothing else, the children had been pitied in the attack. He could only hope for that much. Even if he didn't trust the Uchiha, children were just that. Children. They didn't deserve to see so much death, let alone face it themselves. He would know.

Distantly, he felt his own hands reach up to run over his face. He glanced in the bathroom briefly, his guesses being backed by the towels hanging on the wall. They matched the step-stool from earlier, and honestly, he didn't see either of those being something an adult would use. He might have been hoping for too much, but he allowed himself to do so against his better judgment.

If the children were indeed alive, where were they? The ninja academy, perhaps? That was the most likely option. This lead him to wonder, though, had they all been school-aged? Were those the only ones allowed to live? 

He didn't have to look over to know that his knuckle was turning white as he gripped onto the staircase, his legs heavy as he forced them upstairs. When he did make it up to the second floor, he felt his shoulders sag at the effort it took to look up. There was a hallway. Another bathroom. Only three bedrooms. He didn't have to look into the master bedroom to tell it hadn't been touched in weeks. The door handle had dust on it, which Tobirama held off on touching. That just left the two other bedrooms. Were all the children squeezing into these rooms...? He hadn't seen any pallets set up in the living room...

Tobirama felt heat rising in his chest, both out of sorrow and rage. Even if they had been Uchiha, they had still been children. He stared blankly at the first room he entered, which had probably belonged to a teenager at some point, based on the size of the bed. The room was so bare- the only form of entertainment seemed to be the abundance of books and perhaps the miscellaneous jars of sweets on the desk. Tobirama's blank eyes landed on neither of these, however. Instead, he found his red eyes locking onto a shelf.

It was filled with awards. Some were miniature statues while others were simply pieces of paper. Tobirama felt his hand move up to grip the bridge of his nose as he read a few of the awards.

'Second highest score in the history of the ninja academy as of...'

'Youngest ANBU Black Ops Member of the leaf as of...'

'Youngest ANBU Black Ops Captain as of...'

Well, this kid just did it all, didn't he? Based on the names and ages on each of the awards, this 'Itachi Uchiha' was doing pretty good for himself. Though, Tobirama narrowed his eyes, so much for Hashirama and his whole 'Children should not participate in deadly activities' idea. Unable to resist the agitation building in his gut, Tobirama settled on lightly throwing his hands into the air. "At least the village was getting along with the Uchiha!" voice filled to the brim with sarcasm as he headed out of the room, closing the door maybe a little harder than necessary.

Part of what pissed him off the most was the chakra signature at the bottom of multiple of the awards. They were mostly of people he didn't know, but he could recognize Hiruzen and Danzo's signatures anywhere. Brows furrowed together, Tobirama moved onto the next room, setting his urge to find his students and scold them to the side. He had taught them better than to let a seven-year-old qualify for war!

His hand opened the final room of the second floor, his mood shifting back from bitter to disheartened. He stepped into the room, the last bit of composure going out the window as his fingers curled into a tight fist. The room was clean, but it clearly belonged to a child. He leaned on the doorframe, staring with a bluntly troubled look.

The bed was a soft pastel blue, the curtains behind it a similar color. The room had an end table with childrens' books lingering atop it, a few dull practice kunai resting in miscellaneous areas around the room. The green carpet was surprisingly clean, given the fact it probably belonged to a child. Based on the books, Tobirama was pretty sure they'd be ten at most, five at minimum.

It took a moment, but Tobirama willed himself forward, noticing that the toys were all placed inside a closed toy box at the moment. He shook his head lightly at this- the room was too clean to be housing multiple children. The only sight of any grime was on one of the toys. A green dinosaur plushy, from the looks of it. It had a few food stains, but besides that, it seemed like everything was in order.

Which was odd for numerous reasons.

To start with, the dust on the master bedroom's handle had been too heavy. No one had entered that room for a while. Which wouldn't make sense, unless there simply hadn't been any adults alive to take the room. 

This only raised further questions, unfortunately. If there were no adults, who was taking care of this child? Even if the teen had stepped in, would that really be a good idea? Based on the dates from the awards and how new some of them seemed, this 'Itachi' couldn't be more than thirteen or fifteen. It was possible, but...if he was a captain, the boy would probably be busy a lot. It wasn't realistic to have him watch over the kid. There had been plenty of villagers on the way to the compound, couldn't one of them kept an eye on the kid until he got older? 

Tobirama brought his hand back up to his temples, rubbing away the oncoming headache. He could speculate as much as he wanted, but he wouldn't know unless he went out and found a reliable source of information to give him clues as to what exactly happened. 

With no better option, Tobirama decided it was for the best. He'd go into the village and subtly ask around. After all, it seemed to be a recent incident. 

Just as he turned to leave the room, a voice echoed through the empty house. It was tired and strained, Tobirama pausing briefly at the sound of the child calling out, "I'm home..."


	5. Water and Fire

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since I've been getting a few comments asking; Tobirama isn't using his numerous abilities simply because he's tired. Being brought back to life with only water and dirt would probably do that. So, yeah. 
> 
> Also, Merry Christmas/Have a good holiday to anyone who is celebrating one.
> 
> ***Gaze Perception: The biological phenomenon known as "gaze detection" or “gaze perception". The feeling of knowing you're being watched. Neurological studies have found that the brain cells that initiate this response are very precise. If someone turns their gaze off of you by turning just a few degrees to their left or right, that eerie feeling quickly fades

Tobirama moved quickly- he couldn't afford to be caught in the Uchiha compound. It would be much simpler to walk right up to the child and ask him about what had happened, yes, but it wouldn't be the smartest move.

If he asked the child face to face, they might mention it to the teenager or a villager. 'Oh, I came home yesterday and there was a shinobi I didn't know in my bedroom. He asked me about the compound and a recent tragic event'. Yeah, that'd go great, he thought with dry sarcasm.

Not to mention it'd probably freak the kid out or lead to unreliable information. If he was going to hear about what had happened, it was going to be from someone capable. Preferably a Chuunin, at the bare minimum.

...That wasn't to say that he couldn't make his own observations, though. He found himself easily moving to use the Dusting Bewildering Cover Technique, standing still as he stood against one of the walls. He wasn't surprised to hear a lack of response for the child- after all, no one had been home as far as he could tell.

Tobirama inched through the house silently, the child clearly unable to detect him. After all, he was Tobirama Senju. He wasn't one to fluff his own ego, but he doubted an academy student or even a genin would be able to see past his work. Still, he took great care to stay silent as he headed downstairs.

It didn't take long for him to find the child. It was a boy, one that couldn't be any older than six or seven. He was definitely an Uchiha, no doubt about that. His hair was such a hard shade of black that it almost seemed to give off a blue hue- then there were those eyes. They weren't the bloody red he had grown accustomed to over the course of his childhood, but rather, the pitless ebony that only ever seemed present off the battlefield.

None of that really processed through his mind at first, though. Instead, he was stuck staring at the sullen posture of the boy as he walked to the kitchen to set what looked to be a school bag down. One name rang in the back of his mind, the voice refusing to silence itself no matter how hard Tobirama stared at the boy. He found himself crossing his arms as he stood across the counter from the boy who had taken to unloading his homework. His grip tightened on his own arm, staring wide-eyed at the boy who didn't even know he was there. It was as though he was looking face to face with Izuna.

He had to force himself to keep his breathing quiet and calm, watching as the boy reached over and into the fruit bowl on the counter. He bit into an orange, beginning his work without so much as a glance around. His sharp eyes had the same tired look, the one he had seen on the faces of many shinobi. He had long ago dubbed it the 'Just keep marching' face.

It was easy to tell, really. The boy wasn't making a point of hiding it or anything of that sort. The way his head was tilted down ever so slightly to stare at the paper ahead of him, his dull eyes staring wearily at the paper. Tobirama could see the bags under the boy's eyes, his skin too pale even for an Uchiha. His arms looked heavy, his hands trembling with the effort it took for him to write out the kanji.

Tobirama watched the mini Izuna, his red eyes glancing the boy over. Despite the hell he'd seen out front, he didn't seem like he'd been roughed up all that much. He had what looked to be a cut on his left shoulder, which he noted with a quirked brow, was poorly patched up. The only other signs of injury were the scraped up knees. They looked like they'd been scaped up pretty bad, though time had begun to heal them. Tobirama couldn't help but be silently confused by the injuries. They were small- he could probably heal them in ten minutes tops- but the boy still hadn't gotten them checked. How odd.

His focus was thrown as the boy dropped his pencil, apparently finished. The boy wasn't as injured as Tobirama had expected. It seemed most likely that he'd been thrown aside when the attack went down. Based on the look of the boy, though, the young Uchiha knew. Really, how could he not, given the situation outside. There was something in Tobirama's gut, however, that told him the boy had seen a bit too much.

The child moved to put his things away, dropping his orange peels into the garbage and setting his re-filled backpack on the coffee table. He was silent throughout all of this, staring blankly ahead as he did so. The only sign that he was anything more than an empty husk was as he headed upstares, he rubbed at his eyes with a small huffy noise. 

Tobirama followed, keeping his feet in rhythm with the child's as to not be caught. He watched silently as the boy headed over to the smaller bedroom, pushing the door open. He found himself silently annoyed as the child headed into the room, shutting the door behind him. The silver-haired Nidaime could only stare forward as the door planted itself firmly between him and the child. 

He allowed a gruff noise of annoyance to pass his lips, shaking his head back and forth. He listened through the door as small noises clashed, the child most likely moving something around. He reappeared only a moment later, the green stuffy from earlier now being held tightly in his arms. Tobirama had to step out of the way swiftly to make sure the boy didn't run into him, the young Uchiha running down past him and down the halls now. He found himself urked- hadn't anyone ever told him not to run inside buildings?

This annoyance was set aside as he speed-walked after the boy, staying quiet as usual. What had him in such a rush? He paused as the boy made way for the couch, nesting himself into the corner of it so that he could scan the entire room. The young Uchiha was holding tightly to the stuffed dragon, looking around the room with owlish eyes. Tobirama felt his own brows furrowing- there was no way this child could see him. He had this jutsu mastered and, well, the boy wasn't even ten yet. It had been too sudden, as well. The young Uchiha had been so empty only a moment ago, but now he was on high alert. Tobirama couldn't think of anything that could have set him off. 

Still, the issue remained as the dark-haired boy sat on the couch, arms wrapped around his toy. The small body was shaking, breath ragged as he bit down on his lip. "Go away. Itachi, please." the voice even more strained than when he had first arrived at home. It was caught somewhere between angry and frightened, widened eyes wearily watching the rest of the room. "I can feel you watching me. Even if I can't see you." the boy moved to hide his face in his knees, Tobirama furrowing his brows at the words.

Ah, the kid was probably just having issues with his gaze perception, then. He'd noticed long ago that the Uchiha tended to have particularly strong senses, so he wasn't too surprised by mini-Izuna notice. What was odd, though, was how strongly the boy reacted to it. Tobirama shifted his eyes away from the boy, looking upwards as a silent breath left his lungs. Oh, Hashirama, help him.

"I don't have the eyes...I don't want to. I couldn't even if I wanted to!" he sounded as though he was begging, much to Tobirama's discomfort. One, 'Itachi' wasn't here. Two, the child looked ready to either fight the air or cry at any moment. Then three, to top it all off, he had no way of seeking help for the boy since he technically wasn't supposed to be here. "Please...I know that I have to hate you. I do. I hate you. I'm trying." the boy's voice shrinking more and more as he went on and on with words of nonsense. 

Tobirama found his eyes widening as the boy stood with one quick motion, reaching his hands up in front of him. The child began forming hand motions, the silver-haired shinobi not having to even process the signs before it set in his mind. It was a jutsu he knew well-- fireball jutsu. Quickly, Tobirama moved, not bothering to muffle his movements. 

He was across the room in a tenth of a second, the child not having finished the Ram sign by the time Tobirama was in front of him, jutsu stopped. He held the boy's hands apparent, preventing him from weaving any more signs. Ebony eyes looked up to meet red ones, freezing at the sight of the stranger. Tobirama felt his own desire to freeze, but he shoved it to the side, doing his best not to sound as uncomfortable as he felt. "...That's not a jutsu for inside, boy. You'll burn the house down." motioning with his head towards the wood walls and floors.

It had taken about five seconds of starring before the child began struggling. Tobirama let out a sigh of mild annoyance, not bothering with quieting his breaths as the child reached his knee up to kick Tobirama. The silver-haired shinobi only shifted so that he held both the boy's wrists in one hand, above his head. He held the child at arm's length, allowing him to kick and scream, "Let go of me! You're not allowed in my house!" voice demanding despite the circumstances.

When kicking didn't work, the boy changed tactics, leaning forward to bite at the stranger. Tobirama only glared lightly, moving to push him carefully against the floor. Tobirama reclined him onto the ground, using his hands to retrain him so he couldn't hurt himself. The Nidaime laid his leg out, keeping the young Uchiha's legs down as well. He could hear the child's fumbling threats, but didn't bother listening to them. He let the boy scream himself out, not moving. He only watched with steady red eyes, his face as neutral as ever. He really hadn't wanted to show himself so early, but he couldn't let the child set the compound on fire either.

It took some time, but slowly, Tobirama noticed the changes. Threats of bodily harm shifted into threats of telling the Hokage- Tobirama had to keep himself in check as he resisted snorting at that. They had continued to shift until slowly he was no longer being threatened. Instead, the child was a trembling mess, the flailing only stopping after one final attempt to kick Tobirama's leg off. The boy was a mess when he finally did give in, his chest rising up and down as he looked away from Tobirama, tears welling up in his dark eyes. He seemed just as much frustrated as he was frightened, lips curled into a snarl despite his compliance.

Tobirama stayed silent even as the boy yielded, not letting go. Tobirama watched as the child blinked away the building tears, lip quivering in the direction away from Tobirama. Letting out a noise of mild annoyance, Tobirama instructed, "Breath. If I was here to harm or kidnap you, I'd of let you burn yourself." he pointed out, cold and to-the-point despite his concern. Unfortunately, it was a tone he'd never really been able to switch off. 

His serious words seemed to reach the child, at least. Ebony eyes finally shifted over to Tobirama, a look of almost recognition falling over him. The boy was only able to nod feebly, his fingers curling into a tight fist in Tobirama's hold. The Nidaime sighed lightly, glad he was at least listening. He gave the child a sharp look, speaking firmly, "I'm going to let you go now, understood?" earning him another nod. "Then, I'd like to have a little chat." red eyes scanning the young Uchiha as he kept his eyes matched to his.


	6. You First

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope everyone who celebrates had a good holiday! Anyone who doesn't, I hope you had a good day too!

Tobirama found himself annoyed as the boy tried, again and again, to flee once he released him. To be fair, he knew it was a reasonable reaction, but that didn't make it any less troublesome to have to recapture him and set him on the couch. After the fourth attempt, Tobirama lifted the boy under the arms and held him face to face.

Looking the young Uchiha in the eyes he furrowed a brow with a long stare, his face showing no signs of amusement as they locked stare. "Child." he warned, "Sit." his expression as unyielding as ever.

Giving the mini-Uchiha a moment to comprehend this, he set him down on the couch gently. He gave a small hum of approval as he saw the boy finally settle, even if it was a few feet away from him. Tobirama sat, crossing his legs in hope of giving the child some ease. He'd rather not have to interrogate him if it could be helped. As such, he did his best to repress his 'resting bitch face' as Izuna used to call it. Damn bastard.

Before he could even begin to ask the millions of questions lined up in his mind, the Senju trying to pick the least damaging one, the boy spoke. His voice had a tremble to it, as suspicious as anyone would be in this situation. "Who are you?"

Well, that was a difficult question to answer. Luckily, he had already prepared a cover name in case he went out into public while resurrected. The story...would need to be modified. For now, though, he settled on giving his calm answer. "My name is Tobira. What is your name?" head tilted ever so slightly with interest. It'd be preferable to not have to continue calling him 'boy' and 'child' every time he thought of him.

He quirked a brow with amusement as the mini-Izuna muttered almost shyly, his hands moving to tug at his fingers nervously, "Sasuke". Tobirama paused momentarily- wasn't that the name of Sarutobi's father? He'd only met the man in passing, but the few times he'd shown up to watch his son train had been...interesting. The man had been the picture of discipline and power, so it was odd to see such an apprehensive boy sharing the same name. 

He saw the boy open his mouth to say more, but nothing came out. It took Tobirama a moment to realize he was probably trying to choke out his last name, to no avail. The Senju took pity on the boy, moving on. "How old are you? Aren't you a bit young to be in this compound alone?" 

While it would have been normal for him or really any child of the warring states period to be alone at that age, this was different. They'd been fighting in wars at that age, for hell's sake. They knew how to take care of themselves, even if they shouldn't have had to. One of the few things Hashirama had utterly demanded he put in the curriculum for the academy was safety. 

Young children shouldn't be left on their own, even if they were powerful for their age. Someone with experience could always show along to take them out if they ventured too far. It had, sadly, been something he had learned right alongside Hashirama when the infamous meeting at the lake had taken place. 

That day had pressed the idea further into his mind, even if he'd known it previously from the various battles they'd fought. He hadn't realized beforehand that an adult would go out of their way to harm a child outside the heat of battle. Even if they had been rival clans, he'd assumed the viciousness would only stretch so far. 

Tobirama's inexperienced mind had been proved wrong as he followed his father to the lake, the man ready to use the chance to kill a young Madara. This had only been reinforced as Tajima had stepped in at nearly the same moment to do the same. 

The albino shinobi had to blink away the memory as he watched the boy in front of him looking just as distrusting as Izuna had each time they met. The difference was, this child had most likely been born into Konoha. He wasn't supposed to have that same distrusting and battle-ready look. That had been the entire point of his and his brother's village! 

This anger remained locked down, however. Quirking a brow with a slight tug of his lip downward, the boy finally spoke. "Six. I'm old enough to take care of myself." the Senju nearly rolling his eyes at the boy. He only eyed him with an unimpressed look, the boy insisting as he listed things off on his fingers, "I am! I can do everything a grown-up can do. I can cook, clean, and fight!" hands moving around in front of him as he spoke.

"Oh? Let us not forget your ability to warm the house, then?" Tobirama supplied with no lack of sarcasm. The child- Sasuke, he reminded himself - went red at the mention of the fire. 

The little Uchiha glared daggers at Tobirama, crossing his arms. Well, at least he didn't seem as frightened anymore. "I know how to use my jutsu." Sasuke spoke firmly, demanding, "Was I just supposed to ignore the intruder in my house!?"

"No, but the point is, you shouldn't be keeping guard by yourself. You almost set fire to a wooden house. Had I not stopped you, you would have burned your house to the ground. Hasn't the compound been through enough already?" he spoke seriously, red eyes starring towards the child firmly.

Tobirama watched as the young Uchiha faltered at his, his annoyed expression turning into one of hurt. Damn it, Tobirama cursed, he never had been good at sugar coating. This was Hashirama's area of expertise, not his. He watched the boy swallow back his emotions, clearly resisting the urge to snarl up at Tobirama. "You're another one of those Konoha reps, aren't you?" The child scowled, much to Tobirama's surprise. "I already told you all, you can tear the compound and clan from my cold, dead, hands."

The albino mentally keened-- typical Uchiha. Threaten him and he squirms and tries to run, but take a shot at his clan and he's ready to release a Katon jutsu. Tobirama only leaned forward, towards Sasuke. His eyes narrowed, warning, "I wouldn't use those words so lightly. Stop your yelling. It isn't helping." 

The albino shinobi made a point to ignore Sasuke's sullen look, the young Uchiha scooting back further into the corner of the couch. Tobirama took a breath, steadying his patients. "I'm not a village representative. I have no interest in taking this compound from you. You're an Uchiha, so you and your kin are fully within your rights to keep it to yourselves."

Sasuke seemed surprised at his words, the little ravenet nodding quickly in agreement with him. The boy threw his hands up in an exhausted fashion, though his voice wasn't as loud as it had been a moment ago. "Exactly. It's my compound." looking pleased with the elder shinobi's agreeance. The child seemed to revel in this confirmation for a brief moment before forcing himself back down to earth. "...If you aren't a village rep, why are you in the compound?"

The half-truth left Tobirama's lips before he could think to question them. "I came to check on the Uchiha clan," he explained, the lie passing his lips with frightening ease. "I've been away for a while, but I had heard there had been some sort of attack, though I don't know the details." his head tilted ever so slightly as he eyed the boy.

Sasuke seemed to pause, hands gripping the bottom of his own shirt as he looked up at Tobirama with widened eyes. His lip was quivering ever so slightly, and Tobirama wondered if he had said something particularly harsh. He didn't think so- but then again, the boy seemed to be switching between sorrow and rage at speeds that would make even Izuna impressed. He wasn't prepared for the six-year-old to ask in the tiniest voice he'd ever heard, "Are you a member of the Uchiha clan? You've just been away? Why didn't you come home sooner?" his voice sickeningly hopeful.

Tobirama didn't like the idea of pretending to be an Uchiha in the least. The only thing he liked less than that idea would probably be crushing the kid's anticipation. He settled on a half-lie once more, the albino giving a sigh to mimic grief. "Not quite. I was married to an Uchiha. He passed away quite a while ago, unfortunately, never meeting any of his clan. We didn't have the resources to travel from our home in Kirigakure to Konoha. I didn't have much reason to go by myself after he was gone, but I heard the news and it seemed like a good idea to at least check in on his old clan." his hand running through his hair in only half-false stress. He didn't want to lie, but 'I came back from the dead to knock some sense into the Uchiha only to find their all dead!' didn't sound any better. 

The young boy seemed beyond tired, his brows knitting together as he listened to Tobirama's words. His lips were pulled into a soft frown, the back of his hand coming up to rub at his eyes. "You said you didn't know the details...?" Sasuke asked with a faint sigh. "Didn't the Hokage tell you when you came?"

"No. I haven't gotten into contact with the Hokage yet. I came to the compound as soon as I arrived in the village." Tobirama mused. "Though, I do plan on visiting soon. I wanted to check in on any of the surviving members first." 

The albino shinobi was surprised as he felt the six-year-old scoot across the couch, expression bitter as he settled himself closer to Tobirama. Sasuke didn't seem like the openly-affectionate type, that much Tobirama could tell even in the short time he'd been watching him. He had that same silent but fierce affection every Uchiha seemed to have. The boy must be tired, he supposed. It was nearly six pm, and he had been through a lot today and in general. As such, as uncomfortable as Tobirama found himself, he let the child inch closer and closer on the couch until he was less than a foot away.

It was one thing to want to protect the children of the village. It was an entirely different struggle to have to interact with one directly. This point was proven as Sasuke muttered grumpily, "Survivor. Member." his voice pointed as he corrected Tobirama. "Everyone else is dead besides me and the killer." 

Tobirama felt his stomach drop at the child's words. "...You and the killer?" was that why Sasuke was screaming seemingly into the air for Itachi to get away? The room he had been in less than an hour ago had belonged to the one responsible for all this? 

It had been an attack from the inside? Perhaps he could have understood had it been any other clan, but for the Uchiha clan to fall by their own kin? It was the last thing he'd expected. His disbelief was forced down as Sasuke nodded, the boy now tugging at the end of his shirt and refusing to meet Tobirama's eyes. "Mhm. Everyone is dead except us. He only left me. I was too weak for him to be bothered to kill." the boy's hands reaching up from his shirt to grip at his own hair as he spoke in a cracked voice, "I have to kill him. I have to avenge my clan." his teeth gritting as his pupils dilated. "How am I supposed to do that when I can't even keep my compound safe from the village or finish burning all the dead? There's too many..."

Tobirama reached over, hesitantly resting his hand on the child's head. He watched as the boy's eyes widened, snapping out of the crushing panic to look up at the albino. The Senju wasn't sure what to say to break the tension, but after a long moment, settled on- "...Take a breath."


	7. Tension

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...This chapter took longer than expected. Apologies.
> 
> On another note, I'm considering switching perspectives to Sasuke after chapter 10. It'll return to Tobirama later, but I think it'd be a good change of pace. What do you all think? Any input is appreciated.

This was...very uncomfortable, to say the least.

Tobirama had been around his brother's children and grandchildren long enough to know how difficult they could be, but there was a stark difference between watching Hashirama coddle his children and having to care for them himself.

That wasn't to say he'd been an absent uncle or granduncle, no, but he had never had the same responsibilities as Hashirama when it came to the children. He listened to them babble on about stray animals, sure. He was able to assist the academy-aged ones with their homework when Hashirama hadn't been much help, even. He had no problem training the teens and had happily congratulated his niece at her wedding.

Still, that was all very different from what was happening now. He'd never had any of his brother's little ones seek him out for emotional support. He might be close to them, but he was the last person anyone should go to if they wanted comfort. He was more likely to give the grieving person logical advice on how to deal with a situation than to offer up one of Hashirama's overly warm hugs. Which probably wouldn't work for him, anyway.

He was a stoic and icy bastard, this much anyone who bothered to glance him over could tell. That was, everyone except Sasuke, apparently. That, or the child had simply decided he didn't care. 

Tobirama had to resist his first instincts to tell him to stay still while he went to go get Hashirama. There was no Hashirama, not anymore, unfortunately. So Tobirama was forced to look over at the panicking boy whose lips had begun to blubber, eyes watering over in a pitiful display of misery.

With no shortage of discomfort, Tobirama realized that his hand was still planted carefully on Sasuke's head as the boy took unsteady breaths. He knew he was supposed to do...something. Had this been Hashirama and his little ones, the loud-mouthed shinobi probably would have swooped the boy up and allowed the boy to let out ugly sobs against his chest.

Then again, Hashirama knew his family quite well. Tobirama had no such liberty when it came to Sasuke. He'd barely met the child- they hadn't even succeeded in a full conversation yet. Yet here he was, the only one around to aid the boy. He supposed his way would have to do for now, even if it wasn't ideal for dealing with young children.

"...Put your hands up," he spoke firmly, eyeing the confusion that began to mix with Sasuke's teary face. When Sasuke showed no signs of moving, he carefully reached out to lift the child's wrists up so that they were over his head. He luckily didn't receive any resistance, Sasuke seeming to of settled on listening for now. That much he was grateful for. "Good. Now take a deep breath." he paused momentarily, "Then let it out. Good." he praised as Sasuke at least attempted to follow his instructions. The boy's breath was still shuttered, small hiccups escaping his trembling lips.

The few loose tears that had been dribbling down from Sasuke's eyes and to his cheeks had begun to slow their pace after a moment, the boy seeming to stop more due to the praise than the actual assistance. Well, he'd take what he could get, he supposed.

When the boy had stopped shaking quite so much, Tobirama let go of his loose hold on the boy's wrists, settling awkwardly resting it on the boy's back. The albino shinobi watched as Sasuke hurried to wipe at the tear stains, sniffling in an attempt to clean himself up. His embarrassment was clear, the child not knowing what to do any better than Tobirama himself. Well, at least he wasn't crying anymore. 

"Are you hungry?" the elder of the two settled on asking, watching the boy's dark eyes shift up towards him. Spirits, it was so strange to see someone who looked so much like Izuna act like an actual child. Even when they had been young, Tobirama had never once seen Izuna act half as open as Sasuke. He supposed he should count this as a testament to how well the village has done.

It wasn't exactly common, but there had been times when camps had died out with only one or two survivors. Back then, those shinobi would usually grieve for a week or two then shove it down to focus on the rest of their allies. To see Sasuke so openly broken a month after the event spoke wonders for how rare mass death was these days. 

So why didn't he feel any joy when he saw Sasuke's small nod, the six-year-old wearily wiping his eyes and murmuring something about having just finished shopping the day prior? He bit back the feeling in his gut that told him this was all so wrong. It gave him that same terrible taste he always found at the end of a victory. The same bitter taste that grew when he saw his kin laying dead at his feet alongside the Uchiha. It was a sickening thought- to feel joy over the fact that fewer people were dead. There was always that small voice there to antagonize him, pointing out that he had no right to be joyous over a victory where even one of his allies had died.

He found himself moving despite his inner conflict, the trained shinobi casting calm red eyes over the young Uchiha who had settled on pointing at all the different ingredients in the kitchen, babbling on nervously about what they could make. "-Or there's the stuff for tomato sandwiches, or rice and vegetables, or egg sandwiches-" the boy suggested.

Tobirama furrowed his brows at this, drawn out of his stewing thoughts as he heard the child's words. "You said you just went shopping yesterday?" he inquired, watching as the boy snapped his mouth shut, nodding up at the unfamiliar shinobi. "Where's the meat?" he asked, not having seen any in the fridge.

Sasuke didn't seem to happy with the question, but pulled out some packaged turkey, letting it drop onto the counter unceremoniously. "There's this. I haven't bought any new meat since it costs a lot," he explained. "But it started getting fuzzy. I figured I should save it for last since it tasted weird. I don't want to eat it unless I'm really low on money." he explained.

Tobirama felt his lip slightly curl in disgust, his eyes drifting over the obviously foul meat and clueless boy. He picked it up, glancing over the indeed fuzzy texture. He could see a spot where it had a small bite taken out of it, probably bitten into and repackaged by the six-year-old out of disgust if he had to guess. "I sincerely hope you didn't swallow that?" he sighed, relieved when Sasuke shook his head back and forth. 

"It tasted weird, but I didn't want to waste it so I just spit that part out. I figured it would be a good back-up meal if I really needed it," he explained, as though it was the most reasonable thing to do. Tobirama supposed it would be, to someone as young as Sasuke. He doubted proper food maintenance and preparation had been on his parent's minds when he was still in need of a step-stool to reach half the house. The academy or training were most likely far more pressing matters at that point in time. They must have assumed they had plenty of time to teach him still, Tobirama thought sourly. 

Shaking his head briefly, Tobirama tossed the package in the trash. "It doesn't matter how hungry you are. Do not eat things with fuzz, weird colors, or strange tastes." he spoke with renewed annoyance at the lack of adults in the house. Whose bright idea was it to leave a six-year-old alone like this? "Does anyone come by to check in on you, Sasuke?"

He was at least glad to see a small nod as the little ravenet moved to play with his small bangs, Tobirama pressing past him to get out the rice. He supposed this would have to do for now until he could go out to stock up on some meat. It wasn't healthy for someone that young to not have a balanced diet and he doubted the kid was making sure to get protein from other sources. 

Unfortunately, the shinobi's relief was short-lived as Sasuke's words came from behind him. Tobirama was glad he was busy filling the pot with water and rice, back turned to Sasuke. Otherwise, he might worry that the darkening expression on his face might scare the boy. "Mhm- the Hokage said he'd visit every month to give me my monthly budget from the Uchiha clan's savings and make sure the burning is progressing." his voice quiet as he spoke.

"...Burning?" he could understand keeping the savings until the kid was older- who knew what a child this young would do with such a fortune- but what the hell did he have to burn? He knew the Uchiha burned their dead- after all, it was one of the many things that had always struck Tobirama about the clan. The way they'd fight and fight, never giving up until they had every single dead body that had fallen on the battlefield taken home. He'd only learned later on from his brother that they apparently found it essential to burn each and every one of them without exception. Still, surely the village hadn't left him to take care of his dead clansmen on his own? There had been far too much blood for it to of been a small clan. They clearly hadn't shrunk much. 

...Mentally, he reminded himself to check in on the other clans. He hadn't felt any Uzumaki or Senju, but that wasn't too shocking. He was still having trouble focusing, an unexpected issue when it came to being made half out of earth and water. His insides were still settling, if he had to guess. He could only hope a tragedy such as this hadn't occurred with his clansmen. The thought made his insides turn, gulping at the thought as he set the rice on low and worked to chop the vegetables.

Focus on what was in front of him, he reminded himself. Focus. He could feel the boy watching him, but didn't comment. He wasn't in too much of a rush to get his answer, and the boy didn't seem too eager to give it up either. Unfortunately, it was probably a bad idea to let the boy set fire to who knows what given the little incident in the living room barely an hour ago.

"The clan." Sasuke finally muttered when Tobirama continued cutting while staring him down. He felt a bit bad, knowing his eyes had been unsettling to those around him for numerous reasons throughout his lifetime, but still. He needed the confirmation. To hear Sasuke admit that his guess had been correct was not comforting in the least. He might have sliced the last carrot a bit harder than necessary, but he paid this no mind as he saw Sasuke's cheeks puff up in nervous fear. "You better not tell me that I should let the village do it too." he spoke, nerves laced with anger.

"Well, from what I gather, the Uchiha clan was quite large. It's improbable for you to burn them all by yourself. If you wanted to be present for the cremation that would be understandable, but to do it alone would be-" he began, dumping the vegetables in as he spoke. He only paused as he felt a small pressure on his side. He set the cutting board aside, looking down at the little ravenet. 

The boy had shoved both his hands against Tobirama's side, as if to shove him. "I said I didn't want to hear that!" the little Uchiha demanded, glaring up at Tobirama. He seemed to freeze when he met Tobirama's narrow red eyes, hands lowering to sit anxiously in front of his chest. His pale little fingers gripped into his palms, fists shaking ever so slightly despite his continued glower towards Tobirama. When Tobirama only raised a slender brow, the boy seemed to hesitate further. "...Uchiha take care of Uchiha, in matters of both life and death." the child spoke, words Tobirama had heard uttered among his rival clan more than once. He had no doubt it was a phrase that had been hammered into the boy from a young age. "The village shouldn't try to take them away. It's not their place...it's mine. They're my clan. It's my responsibility." his words unhindered despite the small steps he took back from Tobirama. "They...you have no right to try to make me give up my clan's rituals for the sake of hurrying. I don't care if it takes me a few months. I'm doing it right."

Though he had no idea why the boy kept backing up whenever he looked at him, Tobirama had to admit he was at least impressed he was able to speak through his obvious nerves. He supposed he could be rather intimidating. Still, though, Sasuke wasn't really wrong. The village was supposed to unite the many clans to become something great but there were some lines that simply couldn't be dissolved. How the clan's dealt with their own dead was one such line.

"I am aware that it is your right to control the situation how you see fit." he mused, wiping his hands. Even if Sasuke was barely past his waste. "That doesn't make it any less probable. I was merely going to suggest that it would be difficult for someone so young to chop the wood required and such. Even if you don't want anyone interfering with the ceremony, you should accept the help when it comes to setting it up. Unless it's particularly important who cuts the wood for the pyre, there's no harm in seeking a bit of help from the village." he spoke firmly, turning his attention back to the stove as he sturred the veggies into the already cooked rice.

Once it was warm, he poured the small meal into a pair of bowls from the drying rack. "Don't you have anyone to ask? A teacher? A family friend?" he suggested, handing the boy his bowl and a pair of chopsticks. Small fingers wrapped around the bowl, Sasuke taking it despite the sullen expression on his face. Tobirama found himself mentally sighing for what seemed like the hundredth time that day. Oh, this child wasn't going to make this easy, was he?


End file.
